Some onscreen pairings are just gold. There’s a special kind of movie magic when a pair of actors or entertainers operate on their own wavelength, elevating a script or sketch above and beyond. These duos are more than just onscreen buddies, best friends, lovers, or adversaries as they play a comedic chess game. From the golden age of cinema to modern-day satire, these entertainers graced the screen together multiple times, sending audiences rolling with laughter.
The key to their comedic success is never to compete among themselves. They never upstage the other but rather give their counterparts breathing room to match wits and riffs in a team effort to deliver the best experience for viewers.The best onscreen partnerships of all time broke boundaries, paved new genre paths, and redefined what it means to be a dynamic duo. With many of these stars getting their start in sketch and slapstick comedy, their seamless transition to the big screen further emphasizes their mastery of the craft.
10Kristin Wiig & Maya Rudolph
Most Memorable Feature: ‘Bridesmaids’ (2011)
Top Credits
‘Saturday Night Live’
‘MacGruber’
‘Bridesmaids’
Even though their starting points on the comedic rite of passage seriesSaturday Night Livewere five years apart,Kristen WiigandMaya Rudolphtook no time to solidify their place in the genre. Rudolph joined the cast ofSNLin 2000, withWiig joining in 2005. Their ability to make the other cast members and each other break during dozens of sketches set audiences up for what was to come.
The pair shared the big screen inMacGruber, inspired bytheWill ForteSNLsketch, although they had little screen time together. It wasn’t untilBridesmaidsthat comedy lovers realized just how well Wiig and Rudolph’s chemistry translated to theaters. Since the success of the Oscar-nominated comedy, they’ve shared appearances in a smattering of TV series likeBig Mouthand theMacGruberseries. Hopefully,it’s only a matter of time before Wiig and Rudolph headline another feature film together.
Bridesmaids
9Richard Pryor & Gene Wilder
Most Memorable Feature: ‘Silver Streak’ (1976)
‘Silver Streak’
‘Stir Crazy’
‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil’
‘Another You’
Despite their laugh-out-loud onscreen chemistry,Richard PryorandGene Wilderhad a rocky relationship off camera. The duo starred in four multi-genre comedy films,forever changing the way Hollywood diversifiedits comedic pairings.Wilder had a successful cinematic careerwith roles likeWilly Wonka and the Chocolate FactoryandYoung Frankenstein, whereas Pryor’s fame came from his edgy stand-up.
The pair were supposed to star together first in the satire hitBlazing Saddles, which Pryor co-wrote withMel Brooks; however, the studio opted forCleavon Littleas Sheriff Bart. While some of their bits have not aged well,the chaotic and impressive improv skills of Pryor and Wilder cannot be understated. The duo were dynamite together, sharing a unique chemistry that made them seem effortlessly in sync whenever they shared the screen.
Silver Streak
8Eugene Levy & Catherine O’Hara
Most Memorable Credit: ‘Best in Show’ (2000)
‘Best in Show’
‘A Mighty Wind’
With many of the all-time best comedic duos, it’s hard to imagine one name without the other; however,EugeneLevyandCatherine O’Haraare the exceptions. The pair got their start together after joining Second City Toronto’s comedy troupe and starring onSCTVin 1976. Although they each have successful individual careers, they’ve appeared onscreen in six films together, playing husband and wife in multipleChristopher Guestmovies.
Their most beloved portrayal is as Cookie and Arthur Fleck inBest in Show.Entertaining audiences for over fifty years, O’Hara and Levy seemingly pick up right where they left off each time they grace the screen together, whether it’s deadpan or sketch comedy.Their natural dynamic is the result of years of knowing each other; they’re clearly comfortable with each other, allowing them to portray comedic human relationships better than most actors ever could.
Watch on Amazon
7Tina Fey & Amy Poehler
Most Memorable Credit: ‘Baby Mama’ (2008)
‘Mean Girls’
‘Baby Mama’
When it comes to discussing the most powerful women in comedy, these two are always at the top of the list. Whether they’rehosting award shows or “The Weekend Update,“breaking character onSaturday Night Live, writing, producing, or acting on the big screen together,Tina FeyandAmy Poehlerare absolute powerhouses in the genre.
While Poehler’s role in the pop culture phenomenonMean Girlsis small, it was an excellent pairing with Fey’s writing, foreshadowing when they would share a big screen scene.Each other’s proclaimed “work wife,“the comedic rhythm they share is like no other in the industry; they understand each other’s strengths and make the best of it. While their pair of movies,Baby MamaandSisters, weren’t exactly home runs, they were still masterful expositions of the chemistry shared by Fey and Poehler.
6Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong
Most Memorable Feature: ‘Up in Smoke’ (1978)
‘Up in Smoke’
‘Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie’
‘Nice Dreams’
‘Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers’
Richard “Cheech'' MarinandTommy Chonglaid the foundation forthe stoner comedy genre.Up in Smokewas the defining film that told audiences a new era of comedy was emerging. Before gracing the screen, the pair embarked on musical endeavors during the ’60s in Vancouver, but their entertaining stage banter allowed them to jump to stand-up and, eventually, the silver screen.
The namesCheech and Chong became pop culture iconsandare synonymous with a genre of entertainment catering to free spirits. After over five decades ofversatile entertainment and eight movies, the biopicCheech and Chong’s Last Movieis set to explore the duo’s extensive legacy and impact on pop culture.
Watch on Paramount+
5Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau
Most Memorable Feature: ‘The Odd Couple’ (1968)
‘The Odd Couple’
‘Grumpy Old Men’
‘Grumpier Old Men’
‘Out to Sea’
Frenemies onscreen and best friends off-screen,Jack LemmonandWalter Matthauare a legendary comedic team. In every film they starred in, Lemmon and Matthau produced a balancing act withLemmon, the logical, no-nonsense character, andMathau, the scheming, dimwitted counterpart—and it worked.
The way they pushed each other’s buttons with bits and comedic insults in movies likeThe Odd Couple,Grumpy Old Men, andOut to Seasent audiences roaring with laughter. They shared the screen for 32 years, acting opposite in 10 films (mainly comedies), with Lemmon directing Matthau in one. Deeply influential in modern comedy,Lemmon and Matthau produced some of the best back-and-forth riffs in their filmsthat comedic duos today draw inspiration from.
The Odd Couple
4Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
‘Shaun of the Dead’
‘Hot Fuzz’
‘The World’s End’
A delicious main course from chefEdgar Wright, the onscreen partnership ofSimon PeggandNick Frostis one of this generation’s best pairings.Under Wright’s kinetic direction, the acting duo rose to popularity with the first two of three comedies in the Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy—Shaun of the DeadandHot Fuzz. With their style landing with audiences, the filmmaking trio finished out the trilogy in 2013 withThe World’s End.
Outside their working relationship,Pegg and Frost are actually best friends, making them not only one of the best cinematic duos but one of the best Hollywood friendships.They’ve taken their comedy on a tour through multiple genres, including horror, sci-fi, detective, and animation. With a few sub-par films on their resume,Pegg and Frost’s chemistryis undeniably entertaining, no matter if the overall movie fails to land with audiences.
Shaun of the Dead
3Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy
Most Memorable Credit: ‘Way Out West’ (1937)
‘Sons of the Desert’
‘March of the Wooden Soldiers’
‘Way Out West’
‘The Flying Deuces’
In a combination of silent films, shorts, and eventually talkies,Stan LaurelandOliver Hardygraced the big screen over 100 times for decades in the early 20th century. While quantity doesn’t equal quality, their careers and partnership laid the foundation for modern-day duos.
The work of Laurel and Hardy also demonstrates that one of the key ingredients to successful onscreen comedy is to have a writing partner in your scene partner. Their humor may not resonate with audiences today as it did in their prime, butLaurel and Hardy were instrumental in establishing that comedy didn’t need to be a solo art form. A2018 biopic calledStan & OlliefeaturedSteve CooganandJohn C. Reillyas the iconic stars, yet another proof of their considerable standing in the entertainment industry.
Watch on PlutoTV
2Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
Most Memorable Credit: ‘The Caddy’ (1953)
‘Scared Stiff’
‘The Caddy’
‘Artists and Models’
‘Hollywood or Bust’
What happens when the suave singer meets the larger-than-life comedian? Audiences get a comedic onscreen pairing unlike any other.Dean MartinandJerry Lewisdidn’t make sense on paper when they first collaborated in 1946; however, the pair starred alongside each other for a decade,becoming a major Hollywood drawfor moviegoers.
Martin’s smooth, charming demeanor, paired with Lewis’s expressive, extroverted personality, bolstered the “opposites attract” formula in the comedy genre that stars today still mimic. Each made up for the other’s comedic shortcomings, resulting in an incredibly balanced double-act that remains unmatched. Despite a messy fallout between the two, straining their professional relationship, thepair rekindled after 20 years in 1976, ending this Hollywood tale on somewhat of a happy note.
1Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
Most Memorable Credit: ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’ (1948)
‘Hold That Ghost’
‘Who Done It?’
‘The Time of Their Lives’
‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’
There is no duo more iconic than Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. For nearly two decades, they brought their slapstick and vaudeville comedy style to the big screen in forty films. Abbott and Costello are most famously quoted for their “Who’s on First” sketch, but there’s no denying the cinematic impact they made during the early years of Hollywood.
Their movies were formulaic, drawing from their burlesque and stage routines, with some better than others; however, their wealth of titles proved thattheir comedic partnership was something audiences had never seen before.They took prolific comedic swings, likespoofing the best horror filmsof the 1940s withAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, while also bringing a laughter-heavy approach to serious subjects like war films withBuck Privates Come Home. Abbott and Costello serve as legendary inspirations to this day, making them truly the best cinematic comedic duo of all time.
